© SEPS
In 1960, Norman Rockwell produced one of the most famous self-portraits in American art. A naturally modest man, he clearly had some reservations about making himself the subject of a cover. He’d put himself on covers before, but usually only as a cameo, never the central figure.
In describing this work, Rockwell explained why his glasses look opaque. “I had to show that my glasses were fogged, and that I couldn’t actually see what I looked like — a homely, lanky fellow — and therefore, I could stretch the truth just a bit and paint myself looking more suave and debonair than I actually am.”
As visual reinforcement of his intentions, at the top of the easel, Rockwell has included a reminder to himself not to be taken in by appearances. He bought this helmet in a Paris antique shop, thinking it was the headdress of an ancient Greek or Roman soldier. Carrying it back to his hotel, he stopped to watch a firefighter working to save a burning building and realized that all French firemen wore helmets identical to the one he’d just purchased.
For all Rockwell’s self-deprecation, the painting is regarded by many as a thoughtful portrait of the artist’s three selves: the painter, the observer, and the public person.
This article is featured in the November/December 2017 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. Subscribe to the magazine for more art, inspiring stories, fiction, humor, and features from our archives.
Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
Comments
I was given the ornament in the early 70s and told it was very collectible in America
I am now nearly eight so I thought it was time to pass on for someone else to enjoy.
Does it have any monetary value.
Thank you
Jena Castleton
I really liked the story decause it told how it was the self story
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Hong-Nguyen (Gwen) Nguyen, a doctoral researcher at the University of Victoria, BC, Canada. I’m wondering if I can obtain permission to use and cite the painting in this article in my research dissertation.
Thank you very much.
Regards,
Gwen Nguyen
When you remember seeing them as a kid and its now 7 decades later you know the image was impactful